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IMO1 Troubleshooting, Water-Soluble Calcium, Egg Yolk Oil

Bonds emailed in with a question about failing IMO1 collections that came out moldy with pink and yellow spots. Drake says mix the yellow and red bits in rather than tossing them, and pull the next collection a day or two earlier, filling the box up to two-thirds with rice. Propagated IMO (IMO3, IMO4) is actually easier to run in winter — insulate the pile with a sleeping bag and hay bales. Cecily's IMO3 was overheating in a heat wave, so Drake told her to spread it thinner than the usual 8-inch-to-a-foot depth so it can breathe and stay under 120°F (50°C).

From Master Cho's chicken seminar footage, Korean students toast eggshells over high heat until they brown like a marshmallow, then dissolve them slowly in vinegar to make water-soluble calcium. Dr. Park explains this calcium absorbs better than store-bought tablets, but only a small sprinkle is safe or it can cause kidney stones. Paired with calcium phosphate (calfos), it stops morning sickness in pregnant pigs and cattle, and starting at 45 days old it sets hens up for healthy egg laying; soft eggs or a stop in laying means another two-days-on, two-days-off dose.

Master Cho renders egg yolk oil by burning cooked yolks over high heat until they smoke and press out into oil. He traces the recipe to a Japanese woman he met decades ago, and lists its uses: healing hernias, wounds, burns, cuts, hemorrhoids, ear infections, animal bites, and skin sores.

Drake closes with an egg quality demo — a toothpick test where a natural-farming yolk holds together and lifts, while a commercial yolk just breaks and spreads — plus Master Cho's tip to sell through two or three wholesalers so they compete on price instead of controlling it.

Questions answered

  • 7:48 Bonds: why do my IMO1 collections keep coming out moldy? — Don't toss the pink and yellow spots, just mix them in — the mold means the collection ran too long and needs more rice.
  • 11:35 How do I know if I let my IMO1 collection go too long? — If the batch is mushy and the center is being eaten by other microbes, pull it a day or two earlier next time.
  • 12:24 Should I wait for warmer weather to start propagated IMO? — No, winter is actually easier for IMO3 or IMO4 — cover the pile with a sleeping bag and hay bales to keep it warm.
  • 18:08 Cecily: my IMO3 pile overheats fast in a heat wave, what do I do? — Spread the pile thinner than the usual 8 inches to a foot so it gets more surface area and stays aerobic under 120°F (50°C).
  • 20:29 How does Master Cho make water-soluble calcium from eggshells? — Toast the shells over high heat until they brown like a marshmallow, then dissolve them slowly in vinegar, added a little at a time.
  • 26:11 Why is homemade calcium better than store-bought calcium tablets? — Store tablets don't absorb well in the intestine, but this water-soluble calcium does — just use a small sprinkle to avoid kidney stones.
  • 27:55 Can calcium help with morning sickness in pregnant animals? — Yes, calcium plus calcium phosphate (calfos) during gestation stops morning sickness in pigs and cattle.
  • 28:42 When should chickens first get calcium phosphate? — Give it once around 45 days old, right when hens are ready to start laying, to set up healthy eggs.
  • 30:17 What if a hen's eggs go soft or she stops laying? — Give calcium and calfos again, two days on and two days off, until the problem clears up.
  • 32:56 How do you render egg yolk oil? — Cook just the yolks over high heat until they smoke and burn into a puck, then press the oil out with a wood stick.
  • 36:13 What is egg yolk oil good for? — It heals hernias, wounds, burns, cuts, hemorrhoids, ear infections, and animal bites — Master Cho got the recipe from a Japanese woman he met decades ago.
  • 1:00:21 How can you prove your KNF eggs are better quality? — Do a toothpick test — a natural-farming yolk holds together and lifts, while a commercial yolk just breaks and spreads flat.
  • 1:04:16 Why sell eggs through more than one wholesaler? — Use two or three wholesalers so they compete for your product instead of one controlling your price.

Topics: imo, imo1, imo3, calcium, calfos, egg yolk oil, chickens, egg quality, pigs, wholesale marketing

KNF Office Hours is a free live Q&A every Sunday at 9 AM HST. Bring your question to pureknf.org/learn/questions or join live.

In this episode

  1. 0:00 Welcome and I Ching reading
  2. 6:09 Animals update, down to one pig
  3. 7:48 Bonds' IMO1 troubleshooting question
  4. 18:08 Cecily's IMO3 heat wave fix
  5. 20:29 Toasting eggshells for calcium
  6. 26:11 Why water-soluble calcium beats tablets
  7. 27:55 Calcium for morning sickness in animals
  8. 28:42 Calcium phosphate schedule for hens
  9. 32:56 Making egg yolk oil
  10. 36:13 Egg yolk oil uses and history
  11. 47:21 Baby chick care and warmth
  12. 59:34 Egg quality: store vs KNF
  13. 1:00:21 Toothpick test for egg quality
  14. 1:04:16 Why use multiple wholesalers
  15. 1:05:31 Wrap-up and sign-off

Transcript

Auto-transcribed with Whisper. Click any timestamp to play from there.

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